Besiktas vs Sarpsborg Predictions

Besiktas will start their Europa League campaign on Thursday not quite among the favourites to go all the way, but certainly as one of the dark horses. They were impressive when they last took a crack at this competition, while their Champions League exploits last term were certainly strong. Thursday brings a clash with Sarpsborg in Istanbul, but can the Turkish giants start off with three points?

Besiktas were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League last term, unluckily drawing Bayern Munich after making a brilliant start. They managed to win their group after playing some excellent football, but the draw paired them with one of the strongest second place finishers. The Turkish side were eliminated by Bayern with ease, and their domestic campaign didn’t exactly have a great finale. However, they’ll be aiming to recover in the Europa League this term, and secure some European success.

The visitors are in a much different boat, as they have fought their way through the qualifiers to make the group stage for the first time ever. Sarpsborg have been around for just 10 years, so they’re doing remarkably well to have reached this stage. They’ll still want to push the Turkish side here. However, this run in Europe has caused problems for Sarpsborg, who have seen their form fall apart of late.

The Norwegian side have lost their last four matches, which has left them seventh in the league. They have little chance of another run in Europe next term, so they need to make the most of this one. Their biggest game of the group comes in their opener, so we expect Sarpsborg to come here and take risks. After all, they’re a high scoring outfit. They found the net in every Europa League game this season, which helped them march through the tough qualifying campaign and make it to the group stage.

Meanwhile, Besiktas have their biggest question marks in defence. They haven’t always been the most solid side in Europe, and last season brought a clear step down in their defensive displays. This term, the hosts struggled in the qualifiers during meetings with LASK and Partizan. Even domestically they’ve struggled, with their last seven matches in the Super Lig all seeing both teams score. We’re backing BTTS in this clash as our main tip, while we’re also going for a 2-1 home win.